Merry Good Enough is a 2023 holiday film new to Amazon Prime this season, starring actors Raye Levine Spielberg, and her husband Sawyer Spielberg. They are both known in the East End community for their contributions to the local performing arts scene. Together with Caroline Keene, who directed the picture and scripted it (with Dan Kennedy), they discussed with Hamptons.com why this film is gaining traction over the years as a new iconic holiday film.
The plot centers around three unhappy 30ish siblings traveling home to visit their long-time divorced mom in Massachusetts. Then all kinds of things happen. What the original film critics did not understand was how the more you watch it, the more you like it, and then you find yourself reciting the dialogue and laughing out loud. It does contain some dark comedy and holiday family tension, but it is also brilliant in capturing all the elements of the holiday season.
This is not a big-budget holiday movie on steroids, but instead an endearing, relatable comedy centering around the life of the 2020s. When the Spielbergs and Ms. Keene were asked to reflect on and explain why this movie has been given a new life, as well as what they think produces its strongest appeal today, the answers were interesting.
Raye Levine Spielberg said, “Everyone can relate to feeling lost and frustrated about being stuck in their family dynamics. Can’t live with them, can’t live without them!” She continued, “The way the story unfolds and plays out is really compelling and realistic. More than a few people came up to me after screenings, telling me about how they identified with a character in the movie. None of the characters portrayed have done anything wrong necessary— there’s just a lot of family history there to sort through. It can bring up all sorts of old wounds to revisit.”
Then she concluded, “Ultimately, it’s a story about forgiveness, hope, and accepting your family, as flawed as they may be.”
Director Caroline Keene, when asked about why there is renewed growing interest in the movie, said, “I really think it’s a testament to the performances. Raye is so fearless as the lead Lucy—she is harsh, warm, funny, loving, everything. I think the audience can feel her trying and flailing about, and trying again, and they grow to understand her more. It’s a fun little journey to be by her side for!”
Then Ms. Keene took aim at Sawyer Spielberg’s effort, saying, “Sawyer is the outsider to the family in the film, and his performance as Sam is so steady and open and present. He really radiates something new into Lucy’s life and into the movie! I think people can see the humor, the pain, and also the love and hope that are a part of this family, and I like to think the movie resonates with folks because of that. We all carry all that stuff inside of us. And I think some of the non-traditional tonal aspects of Merry Good Enough—it’s sort of a mystery, too—make it unique as a Christmas film. There’s a lot of fun to be had as the story unfolds and all the characters get to end up somewhere pretty unexpected by the end. Some lovely Christmas music doesn’t hurt either!
Shining a light on Merry Good Enough should become an annual family event. It is available to stream on Amazon Prime and Tubi, and available to rent on all major platforms.
